Getting to the Blowing Rock Conference Center from the Charlotte Airport

The "getaway" experience of camp is well worth the extra travel time from a major airport. For those flying into Charlotte, there are three options for getting from the Charlotte airport to the Blowing Rock conference center. Those options are:

1. Renting a car

Renting a car from the Charlotte airport is straightforward. The last time we checked, the price for a Sunday (noon) through Friday (5:00p) rental was around $100, but if you added one day (beginning on Saturday) the cost was around $300. These prices may change, of course.

*If you do rent a car, please consider placing your name on our the appropriate ride sharing spreadsheet (below) offering to share the ride and cost with other campers.*

2. Ride Sharing

We have established Google doc spreadsheets that attendees can use to communicate/arrange carpooling. Directions are on the spreadsheets. Three camps are listed below - make sure you get the right one :-).

3. Hickory Hop Shuttle Service

There is a shuttle service called the Hickory Hop that travels from the Charlotte airport to Hickory, Blowing Rock, and Boone. The cost is $70 one way, and $120 round-trip. The shuttle will take you straight to the Blowing Rock Conference Center, but as of 2014 they were charging an extra $10 for that.

It is a two hour trip, so if you rely on this please be sure to leave camp at least three hours before your plane departure. The current schedule is as follows (but you may want to verify this with the service):

From the Charlotte airport to Blowing Rock

You will travel from the airport to Hickory, and then transfer to continue on to Blowing Rock. It takes about 1 hour to get to Hickory, and then 1 hour to get to Blowing Rock.

Departure times in bold above go directly to Blowing Rock with a transfer, but no wait, in Hickory. All other times require a wait in Hickory for the next shuttle departing for Blowing Rock. So, for example, if you were to catch the 7:30am shuttle, you would arrive in Hickory at around 8:30am, transfer, and then arrive in Blowing Rock around 9:30am. However, if you catch the 9:00am departing shuttle, you would arrive in Hickory around 10:00a, but would wait until 11:30 until the next shuttle departed for Blowing Rock.

Long story short: catch the departure times in bold above for the quickest ride to Blowing Rock, with no wait in Hickory.

From Blowing Rock to the Charlotte airport

Blowing Rock departure times (to Charlotte):

5:00 am
7:30 am
10:30 am
1:30 pm
4:30 pm
7:30 pm

Allow at least 3 hours before plane departure time.

The Hickory Hop website has information on reserving a shuttle ride. The website says that the Blowing Rock pick-up/drop off point is at the Tanger Shoppes on The Parkway, but in the past they have delivered attendees directly to, and picked them up from, the Blowing Rock Conference Center. In 2014 they charge an additional $10 for that - please verify all costs and schedules with them when making reservations.